Mars is considered as an important part of the solar system. In the solar system, Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that Mars is the second smallest planet in solar system. The other smallest planet in the solar system is the Mercury. These research reports have also shown this fact that Mars has been named after the Roman god of war.
The Mars is often described as the “Red Planet” and this is due to the fact that Mars has iron oxide in excessive quantity which gives it a reddish appearance. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of the Earth. As far as the rotational period and seasonal cycles of Mars are concerned, it has similar rotational period and seasonal cycle as of Earth.
It is also said about the Mars that it is the site of Olympus Mons, the second highest known mountain within the Solar System. In the solar system, the Mars has two known moons which are known as Phobos and Deimos. Different types of research studies have shown this fact that these moons are small and irregularly shaped.
Different persons tried to conduct research studies on the Mars and most of them succeeded in finding interesting facts about Mars. Many reports speculated about the presence of liquid water on the surface of this planet. This was based on observed periodic variations in light and dark patches which are present particularly in the polar latitudes. During 2005, an advanced radar research was conducted on the Mars and radar data revealed the presence of large quantities of water ice at the poles.
There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that Mars can be seen from the Earth with the help of naked eye. Its apparent magnitude reaches around 3.0 which is surpassed only by Jupiter, Venus, the Moon and the Sun. According to the latest study issued by NASA, the comet C/2013 A1 will pass extremely close to Mars on October 19, 2014. According to the latest research studies, the comet will not impact the planet.
As far as the physical characteristics of Mars are concerned, it has approximately half of the diameter of Earth and it is less dense than the Earth, having about 15% of the Earth’s volume and 11% of the mass. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that its surface area is only slightly less than the total area of Earth’s dry land. If we talk more deeply, Mars is larger and more massive than Mercury. In addition to look like red in color, it can also look butterscotch and other common surface colors include the golden, brown, tan and greenish and all these colors or appearances depend upon the presence of different minerals. We have selected this article in order to discuss some interesting and amazing facts about Mars.
1. Has Landmass Similar to Earth
This is considered as one of the most interesting fact about Mars. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that Mars and Earth have approximately the same landmass. These research reports have also shown this fact that Mars has only 15% of the volume of Earth and just over 10% of the Earth’s, around two third of the surface of the Earth is covered in water.
2. Home to Tallest Mountain
The Mars is also considered as home to the tallest mountain in the solar system. It has Olympus Mons, which is a shield volcano and is 21 km high and 600 km in diameter. The scientists are of the opinion that this volcano formed around billions of years ago and evidence from volcanic lava flows is so recent that prove this fact that this volcano is still active. It is so large and its base could cover the entire Arizona state.
3. Has Largest Dust Storms in the Solar System
This is also considered as another interesting fact about Mars. The Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system. They can last for months and cover the entire planet on.
4. Appearance of Sun on Mars
There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that on Mars the Sun appears about half the size as it does on Earth. At the closest point to the Sun, the Martian southern hemisphere leans towards the Sun, causing a short, intensely hot summer, while the northern hemisphere endures a brief, cold winter.
5. Earth Received Pieces of Mars
This is also considered as another important and interesting fact about Mars. The scientists have found tiny traces of Martian atmosphere within meteorites violently ejected from Mars. This thing allowed the scientists to start study Mars prior to launching space missions.
6. Mars name Taken from Roman god of War
This is also considered as an important fact about Mars. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that the ancient Greeks called the planet Ares, after their god of war and the same act was performed and adopted by Romans. Interestingly, other ancient cultures also focused on color.
7. Two-Faced Planet
One of the most interesting facts about Mars is that its two sides look differently from each other. Different types of research studies have shown this fact that the northern hemisphere consists of low-lying plains that make it look young. These research studies have also shown this fact that the southern part of this planet looks old and this is due to its high and rough terrain full of craters.
8. Mars is Terrestrial Planet
This is also considered another important fact about the Mars. This planet has rocky surface and an iron core and it is considered as terrestrial planet just like Earth, Venus and Mercury. This is also the fact that terrestrial planets have solid surfaces as compared to the other outer planets of solar system including the Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The terrestrial planets are mainly composed of crust, mantle etc.
9. Mars Looks Reddish
This is also considered another important fact of Mars. The surface of the Mars contains different important minerals that are rich in iron. This is also the fact that these minerals essentially oxidize or rust and then they are carried into the atmosphere making the planet appearance red.
10. Mars has Impact Craters
There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that the Mars has many craters on its surface. The largest impact crater is the Borealis basin. This crater is considered quite huge and it has total measurement of around 5,300 miles from end to end covering 40% of the face of Mars. The scientists are of the opinion that this could be the result of a gigantic impact that happened when the solar system is still being formed.
11. Mars has Low Pressure
This is also considered another important fact of Mars. You must be aware of about the pressure that exists on the Mars. IF you do not wear the appropriate spacesuit in Mars, you will die instantly. This is due to the fact that the atmospheric pressure on is the Mars is very low and it is considered 100 times less than that on Earth. This extremely low pressure can cause liquid water to boil intensely.
12. Mars has Water
Different types of research studies have shown the evidences of the presence of water on the Mars. Different mission on Mars focus on searching for evidences of extra-terrestrial life. It is now known that there is water on Mars but not in the same form as it is present on the earth. Different types of research studies have also found the presence of water ice near the north pole of the Mars.
13. Mars has Thin Atmosphere
This is also considered another important fact of Mars. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that you will not be able to breathe the Martian air because it is very thin. These research studies have also shown this fact that carbon dioxide makes up 95.3 percent of Martina atmosphere while the Earth has only less than a percent. In addition to this, the atmosphere of the Earth is made of 21% of oxygen while the Mars has only 0.13% oxygen. The scientists have also found this fact that it also has far less nitrogen, water vapor and pressure than the Earth.
14. Mars Never Received Rains
This is also considered another important fact about Mars. It is quite interesting that it never rains in this planet because it is very cold and dry as a desert. This is also one of the most important reasons of non-existence of liquid water on Mars. In fact, once you expose liquid water into Martian surface, it instantly turns either into ice or gas.
15. Mars Snows Carbon Dioxide
This is also considered another fun fact of Mars. There are different types of research reports that have shown this fact that it snows carbon dioxide but only the snowflakes are made of this gas instead of water.
16. Mars has the Largest Dust Storms
This is also considered as one of the most interesting and amazing fact of Mars. There are different types of research reports that have shown this fact that Martian dust storms are the largest on the solar system. These research studies have also shown this fact that an episode of dust storm in Mars can cover the entire planet with dust and this is also quite interesting that this could even last for months on Earth.
17. Mars has Four Seasons Too
Another quite interesting and amazing fact about Mars is that like Earth, the Mars also has four seasons. Both Mars and Earth are tilted into their axes. The tilt of the rotation axis of Mars, at 25.2 is almost similar to that of the Earth. Due to this fact, like Earth, Mars also has winter, spring, summer and autumn.
18. Mars has Long Day as of Earth
This is also considered another important interesting fact of Mars. A solar day in Mars is called as one sol and it lasts around 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds which is similar to the same as the Earth has. If we calculate deeply, a year in this red planet lasts almost twice the number of Earth days and normally consists of 687 days.
19. Mars has two Moons
This is also considered another important and interesting fact of Mars. The Mars has two moons and the names include the Phobos and Deimos. The names were given by the Asaph Hall, who discovered these small moons in 1877.
20. Mars Missions Cost a lot of Money
The missions of mars are considered quite expensive and they cost lot of money. There are different types of research reports that have shown this fact that the US Viking missions alone were worth more than $ 1 billion during 1970. Opportunity and rovers cost roughly $ 1 billion.
